Engaged Buddhism: Compassion in Action

TAKING CARE OF OTHERS

April-June 2011

By James Blumenthal

Photo by Leticia Bertin

Engaged Buddhism, the application of the teachings of the Buddha to the assortment of sufferings and problems in the world, is quintessentially Buddhist. It sets its target on the sufferings of sentient beings. Though the term is relatively recent, having been coined during the Vietnam War by the master, Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh, its practice dates back to the Buddha himself. When the Buddha took steps to help prevent his native Shakya people from entering a war over water rights, he was acting in ways we describe today as engaged Buddhist. In the 3rd century BCE, when Ashoka, the great Buddhist king, set up the first animal clinics and the first homes for the elderly who were without families, he was acting as an engaged Buddhist. Engaged Buddhismis often conceived as referring to social and political activismin the name of Buddhism and that is certainly a critical component of it. But when I think of engaged Buddhism, I think of everything from Free Tibet demonstrations to hospice care, from anti-war protests to solitary retreats, from soup kitchens to all the intellectual and practical activities people engage in to undermine the structures of violence in society that cause so much harm and hamper movements toward personal and collective peace. Because all Buddhism is about reducing suffering and producing peace, all Buddhism is engaged Buddhism. …

Realize that the nature of your mind is different from that of the flesh and bone of your physical body. Your mind is like a mirror, reflecting everything without discrimination. If you have understanding-wisdom, you can control the kind of reflection that you allow into the mirror of your mind.